Dolly, an only child, born in Bras,
married in 1840, at the tender and wayward age of fifteen, General Ivan
Durmanov, Commander of Yukon Fortress and peaceful country gentleman, with lands
in the Severn Tories (Severnïya Territorii)... (Ada,
1.1)
In his hilarious "Географические изучения" (Geographic
Studies, 1860) I. Nivolog (penname of Ivan
Golovin) mentions the Severn River that flows in Canada and
connects Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching with Lake Huron. Some place
names in the book are russified. E. g., the Fever River becomes reka
Goryachka, Nebraska, Nebrashka, etc.
Nivolog also mentions Gudson (sic) who, sent
by the Moscow Company, reached the NW extremity of Spitsberg (sic) in
1607.
Dr Krolik was swiftly running on short
legs after a very special orange-tip above timberline, in another
hemisphere... (1.8)
Dr Krolik (whose name means "rabbit") probably collected
butterflies in Africa. Nivolog mentions hares that inhabit hot Africa:
"наш соотечественник заяц живёт и в этом знойном
климате." The author (who, incidentally, was mad) notes that Africa
resembles an ear (Африка походит на
ухо).
Grizzly bear - ursus ferox - не
оправдывает молву о лютости своей ("does not justify its
rumored ferocity")
According to Nivolog, in Australia ("New Holland") the
flowers have no smell and the birds no voice. The cannibals of African nem-nem
and tangal tribes have tails (люди с хвостами). The
animal Ayu is human to a half, of the whales family (manatus). Palmerstone and
Wellington are Irish. England hugged (облапила)
her brother island (своего
брата-остров). There are other gems.
Alexey Sklyarenko